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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28304679">Three Times Bai Chi Missed the Completely Obvious</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara/pseuds/Mara'>Mara</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>S.C.I.谜案集 | S.C.I. Mystery (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff and Humor, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:49:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,637</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28304679</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara/pseuds/Mara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Just what it says on the tin.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bái Chí/Zhào Zhēn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Three Times Bai Chi Missed the Completely Obvious</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is UndeadRobins’ fault both for the title and the contents. ::points:: Blame her!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>The complicated we handle immediately; the completely obvious takes a little longer.<br/>—Mara’s family motto</p>
</blockquote><br/>Zhao Zhen didn’t think Bai Chi was stupid. Honest. He wouldn’t find the boy so absolutely engaging if he was merely ignorant or dull like most people. No no, he was entranced by both Bai Chi’s innocence and his marvelous brain that could do some of the most amazing things…but couldn’t remember that he was cooking eggs on the stove. (The stove survived. Mostly.)<p>Unfortunately, the latter tendency appeared to extend toward matters of a more personal nature.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Bai Chi was baffled. </p>
<p>First it was flowers delivered to the office. Two days later it was a box of chocolates. After that, a subscription to a prominent math journal.</p>
<p>Bai Chi knew the others were talking about him behind his back, but whatever Bai Sir had said to them after the flowers arrived still held and nothing was said to his face.</p>
<p>He needed advice but wasn’t sure who could help. None of his options seemed great but…at least Zhan Yao had studied psychology and (theoretically) might be able to explain human behavior. He taught college students, didn’t he?</p>
<p>After dithering for another two days (and receiving a book about optical illusions), he knocked on Zhan Yao’s door. Sitting in the chair on the other side of the desk, Bai Chi rubbed sweaty hands on his pants and quietly panicked.</p>
<p>Zhan Yao leaned back in his chair. “What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>Bai Chi clasped his hands together. “Why?” he burst out.</p>
<p>“You’ll have to be more specific,” Zhan Yao said.</p>
<p>“Why does Zhao Zhen keep sending me things?”</p>
<p>Zhan Yao froze, not even blinking for a few moments.</p>
<p>“Is he trying to bribe me? And for what? And why out in the open—”</p>
<p>Zhan Yao held up a hand, now unfrozen, and took a deep breath. “You can’t think of any reason he might send you gifts?”</p>
<p>Bai Chi shrugged. “I don’t understand him!”</p>
<p>“Mmm.” Zhan Yao rubbed his temples. “I think Occam’s Razor would point us in a non-bribery direction.” He looked Bai Chi in the eyes. “He’s flirting with you.”</p>
<p>“Pardon me?” Bai Chi said when Zhan Yao didn’t elaborate on his statement.</p>
<p>“Courting rituals can vary by culture but buying gifts is fairly standard.”</p>
<p>Bai Chi stared at him.</p>
<p>“Flowers and food are very common, along with items the recipient might find useful,” Zhan Yao went on.</p>
<p>“Is that why Bai Sir always pays for your lunch and you bought a new chair for his office?”</p>
<p>Zhan Yao froze again. “Uh…”</p>
<p>“But why would Zhao Zhen flirt with <em>me</em>? He’s…well, you’ve seen him.”</p>
<p>“He’s not really my type,” Zhan Yao murmured.</p>
<p>Bai Chi shook his head. “Thank you for your help.” Standing, he left Zhan Yao’s office. Clearly he was going to have to figure this out for himself.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Bai Chi had only taken a single sip of his coffee when Zhao Zhen appeared in his kitchen. The cup almost toppled out of his hand as he jumped in surprise. “How did you get in?”</p>
<p>“For a police officer, you have door locks that are surprisingly easy to pick from the outside.” Zhao Zhen leaned against the counter, effortlessly elegant in some kind of flowy jacket over a loose linen shirt and pants, all in a stunning shade of green.</p>
<p>Not that Bai Chi was looking, of course. “Leaving aside your lock-picking, why are you here on my day off?”</p>
<p>“Because it’s your day off!” Zhao Zhen took the cup out of his hand and set it on the counter. “I need you to come with me.”</p>
<p>Frowning, Bai Chi looked at him. “You need police protection?”</p>
<p>Zhao Zhen bit his lip (and how did he even make <em>that</em> look elegant?). “Not exactly. More like I would like your input.”</p>
<p>“On what?”</p>
<p>“You’ll see. Come along. I’ll buy you better coffee on the way.”</p>
<p>Zhao Zhen took his hand and tugged, Bai Chi following.</p>
<p>He was surprised when Zhao Zhen parked his car in front of an upscale home furnishings store. “Why…?” he asked, getting out of the car.</p>
<p>“I’m redoing the bedroom adjacent to mine as a study and I need you to pick the accoutrements you like.” Zhao Zhen took his hand again, leading him forward.</p>
<p>“Er…why?”</p>
<p>Zhao Zhen stopped, giving him an unreadable look. “Because I want it to be a room you’re comfortable in, little one. That you can work in.”</p>
<p>Bai Chi blinked but allowed Zhao Zhen to drag him inside to select a desk and bookshelves and the most luxurious office chair he’d ever seen. They even selected rugs and cabinets. After the first time he was foolish enough to look at a price and almost fainted, he resolutely avoided any glance at them.</p>
<p>He was still unclear why Zhao Zhen needed this room when Bai Chi knew he kept his work materials on the first floor. Maybe he wanted another workspace?</p>
<p>When they were done, Zhao Zhen treated him to an equally expensive lunch at an Italian restaurant Bai Chi had heard about but never expected to visit.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, Zhao Zhen deposited him at home and announced that the room would be ready within two weeks. Bai Chi stood in his kitchen, still baffled as to what they had done all day.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The SCI offices were supposed to be empty. Bai Chi had only returned to pick up a file he’d intended to study that evening. About to turn the corner, he heard Zhao Zhen’s voice.</p>
<p>“It’s frankly ridiculous,” Zhao Zhen said.</p>
<p>“Mmm.”</p>
<p>“What am I supposed to do with him?”</p>
<p>Bai Chi froze. Who could he be talking about? Was someone bothering Zhao Zhen? Maybe he had a stalker. After all, he was a very popular and handsome…his  mind veered away from that thought.</p>
<p>“You could try talking to him,” the other person, who turned out to be Zhan Yao, said, sounding amused.</p>
<p>“Doctor, heal thyself.”</p>
<p>“Touché.” </p>
<p>Bai Chi scowled. Talk to a stalker?</p>
<p>“I’ve shown him how I feel. I couldn’t possibly be more obvious.”</p>
<p>“Surely you must know that won’t work. He won’t see it without clear and unambiguous words. Too many years of conditioning to not see his own worth.” Zhan Yao’s voice was gentle.</p>
<p>“And you have the opposite problem, hmm?”</p>
<p>That baffling statement made Zhan Yao laugh. “I suppose. But right now we’re talking about your situation, not mine.”</p>
<p>Bai Chi leaned forward. Yes! Explain what was wrong. Maybe Zhao Zhen really did need police protection.</p>
<p>“What do I say?”</p>
<p>Zhan Yao sighed. “You’re making this too complicated. How do you feel about him?”</p>
<p>“You know.”</p>
<p>“Yes, but he doesn’t!” The ever-calm psychologist sounded like he was losing his temper. “You can’t play games with this!”</p>
<p>“Fine! I love him!”</p>
<p>Whatever else was said was lost in the sound of blood rushing through his head. Why would…how…Bai Chi pushed off the wall he was leaning against, stumbling away. Unfortunately, his clumsiness was worse than usual and he stumbled into a chair, which slammed into a table with a giant clatter.</p>
<p>Groping, Bai Chi tried to get past the table but he heard footsteps behind him.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” Zhao Zhen said.</p>
<p>“I’ll, uh, leave you to it, then,” Zhan Yao said.</p>
<p>Bai Chi could hear his footsteps leaving the room. Bai Chi couldn’t move, frozen with the shame of being caught eavesdropping plus the fear that Zhao Zhen would leave him alone. That, as he’d suspected all along, he’d just been a plaything to be discarded.</p>
<p>“Could you turn around? I do dislike talking to people’s backs.”</p>
<p>Bai Chi shook his head.</p>
<p>Zhao Zhen walked around him to stand in front. He looked significantly less composed than he usually did. “How much did you hear?”</p>
<p>Bai Chi smushed his lips together, shaking his head again.</p>
<p>Chuckling, Zhao Zhen took a step closer. “What <em>am</em> I do to with you, darling?”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Perhaps your cousin’s professor isn’t entirely wrong.” Zhao Zhen took another step forward, until he was within arm’s reach. To Bai Chi’s shock, Zhao Zhen reached out and cupped his cheek. “I love you.”</p>
<p>Bai Chi blinked. “Aren’t you supposed to say that to, uh…whoever you were talking about?”</p>
<p>“It was you. I was talking about you all along. I love you.”</p>
<p>“Me?” Bai Chi pointed to himself, barely resisting the urge to look around the room for anyone else who  might be present.</p>
<p>“You.” Zhao Zhen grinned at him. “I’ve been trying to show you with the gifts, building you an office in my home…”</p>
<p>“An office for me?” He definitely squeaked at that.</p>
<p>“Yes.” </p>
<p>“But why?”</p>
<p>Zhao Zhen looked sad. “We’re going in circles, aren’t we?”</p>
<p>“I’m sorr—” His apology was cut off as Zhao Zhen leaned forward and kissed him.</p>
<p>The kiss seemed both too short and too long. Bai Chi wasn’t sure what to do with his hands so he found himself clutching at Zhao Zhen’s silky shirt.</p>
<p>When Zhao Zhen pulled back, he stayed close, studying Bai Chi’s expression as if it was a new magic trick. “Do you understand now?”</p>
<p>Bai Chi’s brain was still recalibrating. “I…think so?” he managed eventually.</p>
<p>“Maybe we should kiss some more?”</p>
<p>Bai Chi nodded eagerly.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Zhao Zhen found Bai Chi’s ability to misunderstand even the most obvious of flirtation when it was aimed at him…frustrating. But it was rewarding when he was finally made to understand and the light dawned.</p>
<p>Gradually, Zhao Zhen learned that things he considered obvious had to be spelled out sometimes. Such as the meaning of moving in with the man who’s been taking you out to dinner and buying you clothing.</p>
<p>It didn’t matter, though, because the rewards of loving Bai Chi were entirely worth the effort.</p>
<p>—end—</p>
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